Phytopath Policy Blog

6/5/2013

USAID’s Bureau for Food Security is hosting a facilitated discussion on research priorities in integrated pest management (IPM). The e-forum will bring together agricultural research and development professionals to examine the capacity of U.S. Title XII universities in IPM research, with a view towards long-term sustainability and impact in Feed the Future focus countries.

Your input, and the ideas generated, will help inform USAID in the design of a new Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on IPM which will replace the current IPM Innovation Lab when it concludes its final phase on September 30, 2014.

Since the forum is asynchronous and independent of time zones, you can join whenever you like within the following schedule.

SCHEDULE:

Tuesday, June 4 -- Facilitated Discussion Topics:

Integrated Pest Management Research and Programmatic Focus

Comparative Advantages of U.S. Universities in Conducting IPM Research

Wednesday, June 5 -- Facilitated Discussion Topics:

Human and Institutional Capacity Development for IPM Research

Transfer of IPM Technologies to the Field: Reaching Farmers at Scale

Thursday – Friday, June 6 – 7 –

The forum will remain open for additional comments and browsing but will not be facilitated.

BACKGROUND: The Feed the Future Food Collaborative Research Innovation Labs (formerly called Collaborative Research Support Programs or CRSPs) were created under Title XII of the International Development and Food Assistance Act of 1975, which authorized USAID to engage U.S. land grant and other eligible universities to address the needs of developing nations while also contributing to U.S. food security and agricultural development. Click here for more information.

10/21/2012

Financial support for undergraduate studies in environmental sciences is available from the National Center for Environmental Research, a unit of the EPA Office of Research and Development. The fellowships are offered through the Greater Research Opportunities program and are intended to help defray costs associated with environmentally oriented study leading to a bachelor’s degree. The EPA plans to award approximately 40 new fellowships in the summer of 2013. Awardees will receive support for their junior and senior years of undergraduate study and for an internship at an EPA facility during the summer of their junior year. Each fellowship provides up to $20,700 per year of academic support and $8,600 for internship support for a combined total of up to $50,000 over the life of the fellowship. The deadline for receipt of applications is December 5, 2012. Visit http://epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2013/2013_gro_undergrad.htmlfor more information.

9/27/2012

Last week, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee reported to the full Senate S. 3568, a bill to create a Citrus Disease Research and Development Trust Fund, with a recommendation that the bill be adopted.The Trust Fund would support research on diseases impacting the citrus industry.If enacted, this legislation would provide a dedicated source of funding for scientific research, technical assistance, and development activities to combat citrus diseases and pests, both domestic and invasive.The Trust Fund would be financed through tariff revenues on citrus and citrus products up to a total of $30 million per year.Under the bill, the Secretary of Agriculture would expend the funds based on the advice of a Citrus Advisory Board.The bill also includes provision related to cotton and wool tariffs and would be slated to expire after five years. It is unclear whether the legislation will be enacted before the end of the year.The legislation was sponsored by Senator Nelson of Florida, and Senators Feinstein and Boxer of California. It is also unclear how or if this will impact current funding for citrus disease.While the appropriations committees have eliminated earmarks or designated funding for specific crops or diseases, tariff legislation is not subject to the same agreement. Stay tuned for future updates.

7/11/2012

In what is billed as the largest number of calls ever issued, €8.1 Billion will be available under the European Union’s call for proposals issued yesterday under the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).For many disciplinary fields, this will be the last call before the next framework programme, Horizon 2020, begins in 2014.

3/22/2012

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is accepting grant proposals for Round 9 of Grand Challenges: Explorations, an initiative to encourage innovative and unconventional global health and development solutions. Applicants can be at any experience level, in any discipline, and from any organization, including colleges and universities, government laboratories, research institutions, non-profit organizations and for profit companies.

One of the topics highlighted in Round 9 is "Protect Crop Plants from Biotic Stresses from Field to Market". Go here for a description.

Initial grants will be US $100,000 each, and projects showing promise will have the opportunity to receive additional funding of up to US $1 million. Full descriptions of the new topics and application instructions are available on the Grand Challenges website.